Machiavellian Intentions
by mademoiselle anna
Summary: The Uchiha Corp diamond vault was compromised twice in two days. With priceless diamonds disappearing and appearing again, Sasuke was forced to play a game of cat and mouse. Amidst the company chaos, Neji found himself attracted to a pretty maid.
1. three

Machiavellian Intentions

By anna

_All general disclaimers apply_

Machiavellianism: Tendency to deceive and manipulate for personal gain. (wiki)

**Experiment**: Reverse time line

Note: If you haven't figured it out already by the odd chapter titles, this story is going backward in time. You could be adventurous and read the ending first, or be safe and read my third installment and follow the correct timeline. But really, why not just read backward? Live a little. Go crazy.

_three_

--

_There were more faces to Sakura Haruno than on the rarest diamond._

--

Tenten was startled. The brunette stood up from her small cubicle and craned her neck to get a better look at the man in the expensive black suit. Her employer raced past her in an urgency she never thought a man of his calmness could muster. Sasuke preferred his private office located at the building's top floor, so it was odd that he was venturing the lower departments.

"Uchiha-sama?" she called after him.

Immediately, he stopped and turned around. The secretary was taken back at the emotion his eyes were showing.

"Tenten… do you know a person by the name of Sakura Haruno?"

"Sakura? Yes, but her shift doesn't start until later tonight,"

"What's her last stop for the night?"

Tenten stropped for a moment to think, she looked up again and almost recoiled at the smoldering gaze the handsome man was giving her, "Um… I think it's Hyuuga-san's office."

Sasuke considered the information calmly. He was looking like an idiot chasing around his building and he knew it. He could make it extremely easy on himself and simply asked for her to come to his office. But Sasuke knew that if he did that, she would be more than happy to defy- and what was he going to do then? Fire her? It was absurd to fire a woman who was going to own half of the Uchiha Corp. revenue.

"Remind me to give you a raise," he said and left, leaving Tenten dazed.

Her neighbor poked the brunette curiously, "what was that?"

The secretary looked down and shrugged.

--

Neji closed his eyes in exhaustion. His entire day was spent meticulously checking every inch of the blueprint. He found the little flaw in the security cameras, but the vault itself was impossible to penetrate unless she had the code. Even Neji wasn't entrusted with the information. Images from the corporate party flashed in his mind again. She had hung on sensuously on the Uchiha's arm, but somehow the financier doubted that the woman would go that far to get the code. That and the CEO was allegedly the office prude.

The red blinking light of the telephone caught his attention; Neji leaned forward to push the intercom button.

"What is it Ino?"

"Hyuuga-san, I have Uchiha-sama waiting outside your office,"

"Tell him to please enter,"

Immediately, the door to his office opened and his employer stepped in. The Hyuuga stood up politely and gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

"This is an odd visit, Uchiha-sama. Has there in a break in the case?" Neji asked.

"Actually yes, I know how the perpetrator managed to remove the diamonds by himself,"

Neji searched the dark man opposite from him for any signs that may reveal if he knew said perpetrator's identity. The Hyuuga was obsessed with the case and he was obsessed with the woman who made it possible- he did not want to see her behind bars. The specific male element Sasuke attributed made Neji breathe a little easier.

"How?"

"He used the sewage and ventilation system. It's genius," Sasuke answered.

Ventilation? Neji hadn't thought of that before. He simply went through this the wrong direction, he had assumed that she removed the gems off the building's premises, but she simply hid it. The vault had an air vent near the top; she could have easily stayed inside, away from the cameras' prying lenses. She also returned the diamonds before the detective had the chance to check the air vents. Sakura Haruno was becoming even more fascinating.

A singular knock brought both men's attention to the door. Neji knew that knock, Sakura was never persistent. Opposite from him, Sasuke's lips curved into a knowing smirk. Neji may know her knocking habit, but Sasuke knew her presence.

"The maid?"

Neji nodded and called out, "come in Haruno-san,"

The pretty woman entered, she bowed respectfully when she saw the unexpected company. She knew the danger she was flirting with, but getting flustered wasn't going to help.

"Uchiha-sama, I didn't think you would be here. I could return later…" Sakura offered calmly.

"Don't be annoying, Haruno-san," Sasuke cut in.

A flash of something like irritation appeared in her green eyes but Sakura nodded. She wheeled her cart in noisily and began to rearrange Neji's bookshelves.

"So Haruno-san, have you heard anything about the heist two days ago?"

The financier raised his eyebrows at the other man's blatant display of curiosity. His employer's attention for the woman was making Neji slightly uncomfortable.

"Yes Uchiha-sama, I hear that Detective Nara is stupefied, quite a feat," she smiled amicably and began to dust the furniture.

A small smirk graced his countenance and Sasuke leaned forward, his grace and dignity negated the eagerness, "the perpetrator made fabulous use of the sewage and vents,"

"A maid or a janitor would have close contact with the sewage, a technical worker would have access to the vents," Sakura answered, after a second, she added, "my money is on a maid,"

Neji was now thoroughly confused, what the hell was she doing? Was she _trying _to go to jail?

"How could a person bypass the cameras virtually undetected?"

"Well… Uchiha-sama, I don't know much, but I have one theory," she held the duster cutely below her chin.

"I would love to hear it,"

"You see… letting two security guards to oversee twelve screens isn't exactly a strike of brilliance- especially when one of said guards has an affinity for womanizing. Not only that, each screen flashed to a new location every five seconds. The perpetrator would have a five second interval where he remained invisible,"

Neji was listening intently; this was nothing like what he thought.

Unaware of the silver eyed man's intense gaze, Sakura continued, "If he could figure out at which location and the exact time it will be off screen, he could successfully 'jump' his way to the vault undetected."

The Hyuuga was in awe, his breath was caught somewhere in his throat. This was simply genius. Across from him, Sasuke nodded approvingly.

"But what about the code?"

This time, Neji leaned forward in anticipation. Yes, what _about _the code?

The woman laughed, "well… if it were me, I would try something of importance to you,"

She looked directly at the CEO, "the birthday of someone special to you would be my first guess, an anniversary, a special future date…"

".. Or I probably would have gotten you drunk and have sex with you," Sakura shrugged offhandedly.

At that, even Sasuke managed a chuckle, much to his silver eyed employee's discontent. Sakura had managed to single handedly bring fear to his company, but at least that night with her had been most enjoyable.

Their employer stood up suddenly and offered Neji his hand. "This visit proved to be very informative, but I think it's time I go back to my office,"

Before leaving, Sasuke turned back and addressed Sakura, "And Haruno-san, my office needs a thorough cleaning. I would like for you to come up after you're done here,"

The pink haired maid bowed courteously in compliance. Once she was alone with the financier, Sakura resumed her dusting. Sakura opted to ignore the stare she was currently receiving from Neji. He was the first to break the silence.

"What the hell was that?"

"What?" she asked innocently.

"You told him everything. You could go to jail."

She laughed, "Maybe,"

Ignoring the incredulous expression on his face, Sakura gathered all her cleaning utilities and began to push the cart out.

"Where are you going?" the financier asked.

"I have an appointment with Uchiha-sama," the maid answered and, with a quick wave, exited the immaculate office.

--

The woman was a mystery, that much Sasuke knew. But for her to pull a stunt like that was beyond comprehension. He also knew she was smart, that was what attracted him to her in the first place, but Sasuke thought her intelligence was limited to medicine. Now that he thought about it, it irked him to know that he was blind to the fact that his fiancée was only a few floors under him. Not to mention the fact that she was awfully cozy with one of his employees.

At the thought of Neji, Sasuke narrowed his eyebrows thoughtfully. The financier appeared incredibly vexed when Sakura explained the heist. Neji knew that Sakura was the person behind all the chaos, yet he never once mentioned it- he was trying to protect her.

_Now why would he do that?_

Having a crush on the boss's future wife wasn't advisable.

The creak emitting from the door attracted the CEO's attention. Sasuke smirked slightly when a woman in a maid's uniform entered. He watched in silence as she began her routine of dusting the shelves. The man scowled when he knew she was bent on ignoring him.

"Sakura, stop," he commanded.

His fiancée lowered her duster and turned around to face him. Her expression was unreadable and Sasuke wondered if she got that from him.

"Sasuke-kun," she greeted amicably.

"As much as I enjoyed the excitement, I need to ask what my future wife is doing here without my knowledge,"

She shrugged, "I was feeling neglected,"

"And so you decided to break into my company's diamond vault. For what? The money?" he asked, his dark eyes fell on hers. He knew it wasn't for the money, but he felt like asking anyway. He had the right to.

"Of course not, that's silly. Marrying you would ensure more money than a few diamonds would bring," she laughed. Sakura had teased her fiancé on various occasions that she did not want to marry him because of his looks; she was more interested in his money. Sasuke knew that both were a lie, if she wanted money- a marriage with the Suna Inc. owner would take care of that.

Slowly, and with an incredible amount of grace, the CEO stood up from his chair. He stalked toward the woman standing not far from him. His presence was enough to make a woman swoon, but Sakura was staring up at him almost defiantly. A finger traced the smoothness of her cheek while the other hand trailed along her back.

Sakura could feel his breath on her and his lips nibbled lightly at her collarbone.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her breathing instinctively quickened.

"Not neglecting you," his lips were on hers, preventing anymore silly questions.

--

There was a memo floating around about a scheduled locker search. It was at Detective Nara's insistence and all the lower floors were buzzing with the news. Sakura herself was slightly surprised, not at the search itself, but at the delay. She wasn't sure how involved her fiancé was with the whole idea, but the fact that he allowed it to happen both anger and brought her relief.

With the prized pink diamond safely in her pocket, Sakura maneuvered past the front desk. She breathed out when she found the locker room empty. Nimble fingers carefully turned the master lock and she smiled when it clicked open. With a wary second glance around the room, she threw the large diamond inside, leaving it in plain sight.

Putting on her uniform, the pink haired woman stole out of the room as quietly as she entered.

--

Lee was standing against the wall. Next to him, Sakura appeared mildly bored. The police officer in charge of the search was young and energetic, but most importantly, he was inexperienced.

"It's ok Sakura-chan, they're not going to find anything," Lee looked down and smiled, mistaking her boredom as fear. It was so contagious that Sakura had to smile back. But she sobered quickly, on the contrary, they were going to find everything.

Turning her head to survey either sides of her, Sakura was displeased at the way they were being treated. The officers were herding them like cattle, lined everyone up against the wall as they pried the lockers open with crowbars. It was insulting.

When they hovered in front of her locker, Sakura shifted slightly in both anticipation and exhilaration. A young man in uniform opened her locker and looked inside. The pink haired woman smirked when she saw the colors drained from his face.

The room was filled with mumbles as a large pink diamond was extracted. The young officer turned around, his eyes were filled with false arrogance.

"Whose locker is this?" he asked.

"Mine, sir," Sakura raised her hand and stepped forward. She could feel Lee's incredulity permeating around her.

The young officer was slightly taken back. She was not who he was expecting. Especially a woman who looked like her.

Two large men walked up to her, each grasping her arm. "Er… Uchiha-sama will be expecting you,"

She smiled. She knew he was.

--

"Let her go," Sasuke commanded, he waved to dismiss the security.

Sakura was thrown to the ground for good measure; she scampered up on her feet to find that the CEO had gotten out of his desk to approach her. Neji watched the other man's action with mounting curiosity. Silver eyes settled on her skinned knees and he growled lightly at the securities' carelessness.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" the young CEO asked, his onyx eyes narrowed and scanned her body critically. He let out a growled similar to his financier when he was the bloodied knees.

"I'm fine," she mumbled.

Sighing in relief, Sasuke got back to his desk leaving Neji to mull with slight jealousy over the strange display of tenderness.

"You know Sakura, ever since I first saw you, I've always known you were an odd one," Sasuke leaned back to his leather chair and rid himself of his tie, "but I liked that oddness so much I decided that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with it,"

Realization dawned on the Hyuuga's features as the missing pieces began to reveal themselves.

"I indulged your every whim, I let you keep your shabby little apartment, I let you keep your job, I let you stay in your world and did not press you to live in mine," Sasuke continued.

He stood up to indicate the finality of the meeting; his expression reflected a fleeting look of frustration. Across from him, Sakura was beginning to take off the glistening pink diamond. He moved swiftly toward her and swatted her fingers gently away.

"Don't be annoying. I'd like for you to wear it at the wedding,"

"Where are you going?" she asked at his receding back.

"I have a few security guards I need to dismiss,"

With Sasuke out of the room, Sakura was left alone with the Hyuuga. She did not need to see his face to know that he was peeved. All this time, she was not who she said she was. He knew women were confusing, but this was pushing the envelope. Neji Hyuuga was not a man who squandered affection, and it was slightly disconcerting to know he gave it to her so willingly.

"Sakura Haruno, graduated valedictorian from Konoha University. One of the most respected medical minds and a brilliant researcher…engaged to the Uchiha Corp. CEO… Tsunade failed to mention that small little tidbit,"

From their first encounter, he knew she did not belong there. He knew there were more facets to her, but there were more faces to Sakura Haruno than on the rarest diamond. Sasuke was the collector; it was only fair that he would also own a beautiful piece like her. Neji simply got caught in the spiral to the abyss of glamour.

"Neji…" she began, her pretty face contorted in exasperation.

He stood up and loomed over her. An ironic smirk graced his lips, "Are your "whims" always this… emotionally expensive?"

"Neji…" Sakura tried again, but it was proving incredibly difficult to talk when she was pinned under that blazing gaze.

"I made my interest perfectly clear, and now, hopefully I'm making my disinterest just as comprehensible," the Hyuuga's velvety voice danced on her skin, she closed her eyes and listened to his retreating footsteps.

In a few weeks, she was going to be married and he needed to find a new job.

xxxxxxxxxxx

End.

Be honest, how many other stories on ff dot net are you going to find with this format?

To the people to took the "safer" route: gah?

To the more adventurous readers: High five!


	2. two

Machiavellian Intentions

By anna

_All general disclaimers apply_

_two_

--

"_Are your 'whims' always this… emotionally expensive?"_

--

Neji was feeling uncomfortable, the previous night's conversation replayed constantly in his mind. She had been so beautiful and her body felt so delicious under his when they danced. Only the knowledge of the imminent unveiling kept him from ravishing her completely.

The financier shook his head viciously; he shouldn't be so focused on her body and her pouty red lips. Instead, he should pay more attention to what those red lips revealed.

"_I'm going to steal Uchiha Corp.'s diamonds,"_

When she said that, he almost laughed. It was like a big joke, but he decided to humor her.

"_How are you going to open the vault? Only the CEO has the code," _

Her dainty finger had trailed up his chest; it traced his jaw line and drew him down to her height.

"_I'll figure it out," _

She disappeared then, and he was unable to catch up to her. Too many women wore green that night. He was stuck through the presentation ceremony but the minute it was over, Neji raced to the dance floor. It wasn't until when the party waned and the people began to leave did he see her sauntering up to the Uchiha. Holding back a growl, the financier watched as the pretty maid charmed the CEO.

What had happened after they left? What did she mean by "figuring things out"? The obvious assumption dawned and he almost choked at the thought. Sakura was a sensual creature, it was only logical that she used that sensuality to her advantage.

The financier tapped his fingers, it was already eleven o'clock, the woman was due to clean his office an hour ago. Tugging off the restrictive tie around his neck, Neji threw it carelessly on the floor. He averted his attention to his laptop and began typing his personal code in, he needed to have a second look at the security design. Despite his actions, every fiber of his being told him that his work was flawless.

Giving another impatient glance at the clock, his anger mounted when the woman responsible for his insanity was still absent.

She was turning him into an obsessed idiot with an affinity for paranoia.

--

Sakura greeted politely, "Good night Higashi-san,"

"Don't work too hard Haruno-san," the old man smiled back and exited through the elevator.

The night shift had officially ended and Sakura was one of the few people who still remained. She nodded in acknowledgement at some of the security, pushing her cart along the floor. Her lips pursed with anticipation and she became aware of the small movements of the cameras following her every move.

Opposite from the vault was an odd looking door. She'd never been inside and she wondered what its usage was. Gingerly, very aware of the camera focusing in on her, Sakura turned the knob and entered. It was an abandoned janitor's closet, simply big enough for her cart and a small space reserved for a sink. Her smile widened, the building's architecture was making everything too easy for her.

Tomorrow, the Uchiha Corp. was going to be turned upside down.

--

The executives had been running around, their corpulent forms swaggered across the floor. All their faces had sheen of sweat, from the lack of exercise and nervousness. The lesser employees looked confused and the women were already indulging in gossip.

Sakura looked up from her mopping and stood out of her way as a wave of executive stampeded through the floor. Her eyes caught Neji's and they kept their gaze until he passed.

The young financier had no idea what the alarm was about but he had a feeling he was about to find out. Along with the management staff, he made his way to the vault's corridor. Silver eyes widened in shock and anger when he saw the contraption he had so painstakingly designed carelessly pried opened.

"Something terrible has happened," an old advisor spoke up first, behind him stood the Uchiha CEO.

The vault was further opened, showing its interior. A wave of gasp echoed through the hall.

"The- the diamonds," someone said.

True enough, where all the diamonds used to be were nothing more but empty containers and trays.

"It must have taken a team of strong men to be able to successfully move everything,"

A young detective walked up with a lazy swagger, his hands holding a small writing pad.

"We have checked all the surveillance cameras, unfortunately, they gave us nothing," he said, his dark eyes echoed his boredom, "It's like a heist conducted by a phantom,"

"All phantoms have a shadow, and I trust you'll find this one Shikamaru," Sasuke spoke up, his firm voice commanded authority.

The man moved to leave, he stopped momentarily by Neji, "Hyuuga-san, I'd like for you to join me in my office."

--

"I am not a fool Hyuuga-san. I do not hire incompetent men," Sasuke said, his hand swept the unruly bangs out of his eyes, "You are far from being incompetent, so my question is, who is smart enough to pull something like this?"

"My system was flawless," Neji answered from across the table.

The young CEO chuckled mirthlessly, "Now you're a fool for thinking that."

"What do you mean?" it was all very dejà vu.

"A very smart woman told me that nothing is ever without a flaw. You will review it again and find that defect, no matter how minimal. It must exist, and I want you to find it by the end of the week,"

Neji nodded in understanding and stood up. His mind was muddled with an odd emotion.

"_I'm going to steal Uchiha Corp.'s diamonds,"_

It had to be her, and for some reason, that knowledge gave him a sense of exhilaration. The woman he had been loosing sleep over was clever enough to penetrate something he lost sleep over. She was a challenge, and Neji was going to figure how she did it. _  
_

--

Detective Nara stood there in disbelief.

After two days of questioning all of the employees, he still could not come up with a single lead. And now, just as they had disappeared; the vault was filled with glistening white stones again. The vault was filled from floor to ceiling with trays; each tray contained an uncountable amount of diamonds.

Shikamaru walked in the vault and looked around in careful inspection. Everything was neatly back in its place and the small stones shined in their stunning glory. Brown eyes caught an anomaly and he moved to the back of the small encasement.

The "Cherry Blossom" was still missing.

--

"I know it was you, how did you do it?" he asked her, his silver eyes searched hers in hopes of an answer, "I can't for the life of me unravel it,"

"Are you going to arrest me now?"

The financier chuckled and shook his head, "I'll be damned if I help the police do their job,"

He turned and began pacing the spacious office, "You know? I had lunch with one of my old employers, Tsunade, yesterday. The funniest thing, she mentioned you."

Sakura didn't answer and made no move to indicate any response, he continued, "She told me that she was your patron. Despite her few vices of gambling and drinking, Tsunade would never offer patronage to mediocrity,"

"Apparently, you are not mediocre. Sakura Haruno, graduated valedictorian from Konoha University. One of the most respected medical minds and a brilliant researcher…"

He turned around abruptly and trapped her body against the wall with his arms, "Now why would a woman of your intellectual standard do menial blue collar work?"

"I take joy in simple employments?" she offered.

Their little moment was cut short when the door creaked opened tentatively. The young intern's face drained in color when he thought he just walked in on something private. Neji growled in annoyance and snapped his head back to the interruption.

"Hyuuga-san, you are requested in the boardroom,"

The financier nodded and opted to remove his arms from either side of her head. He sighed in slight resignation and left the office.

--

"Why would they take all the diamonds, and then return everything back again after a few days?"

Neji leaned back in his chair his ears tuning out the detective's voice. He wasn't concerned with the 'why', what the Hyuuga wanted to know was 'how' a person could infiltrate the vault twice without leaving so much as a scratch. Mainly, how _she _did it.

"This is obviously not about the money," Sasuke said.

"What are you talking about teme? The 'Cherry Blossom' by itself is worth millions!" a vivacious blond man challenged.

"Whoever did this is trying to make a point; the 'Cherry Blossom' is so rare it can never be sold without arousing suspicion. If they simply just wanted one, they could have taken any random diamond and still make a fortune. Instead, they chose the one with the most public attention." The Uchiha calmly explained.

His best friend, and also his most trusted advisor, nodded but still showed obvious displeasure at the complications. Naruto Uzumaki wasn't a man with a shrewd political mind but his eagerness and explosive nature had helped his friend through many corporate crisis. His appearance was always unprofessional with his grotesque orange ties and the occasional orange suits. He was also the only personnel in Uchiha Corp. allowed to address the young CEO anything other than "Uchiha-sama" without any public repercussions.

Today, no orange was evident. Naruto actually looked like a mature man; his trademark bizarreness was traded with a simple navy blue suit and a light pink tie.

"Well Sasuke, at least the media doesn't attack us like vultures anymore. All of our investors no longer wanted to break the contracts. The public is no longer alarmed, it's strictly a private matter now," the crisis manager said, earning a few mumbles of agreement in the boardroom.

"Uzumaki-san is right, we should thankful," Shikamaru said, "but trust me Uchiha-sama, I will not rest until your wayward possession is back safely in your vault."

--

Tenten looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She cracked a smile and appeared pleased with herself. She moved to turn off the water faucet, a brown eyebrow lifted in confusion when the water did not drain.

Biting her bottom lip in exasperation, Tenten left the bathroom to find the janitor. The minute she left the room, Tenten sighed in relief when she saw him.

"Lee-san!"

The man wearing a green jumpsuit turned around a cracked a brilliantly white smile.

"Tenten! What can I do for you today?" the man greeted amicably, his hand holding a bucket of water and a mop.

"Something is wrong with the sewer system; the bathroom water won't drain,"

Nodding enthusiastically, the man entered the bathroom with Tenten following closely behind. Rock Lee got on his knees and opened the cabinet below the sink, carefully he began to loosen the rusty metal pipe. The second the piece was removed, a small glittering object fell down.

"What is that?" Tenten pointed.

Lee reached out and when he saw what it was, his round eyes got even wider.

"Tenten… this… this is a diamond,"

"No way!" immediately, she got down on her knees next to him. Her mouth opened in awe at the beautiful stone.

"What was this doing in the pipe?" the brunette whispered.

"I don't know, but I think we need to notify Uchiha-sama," the young janitor answered. At that, Tenten smiled, he was always so honest.

"Ok," she agreed.

--

Tenten and Lee stood in silence. The quietness of the office was eerie and they began to make wistful glances at the glass door. In front of them, the dark haired man sat, his attention solely on the white gem. Much to his employees' relief, he looked up at them and began talking.

"You found this in the pipe?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, Uchiha-sama," Lee nodded obediently.

The CEO appeared to be satisfied with the information and waved his hand in dismissal. Tenten and Lee both let out a sigh of relief and scampered out of the presence of authority. When he was finally left alone, Sasuke pressed a button on the intercom.

"Yes sir, Uchiha-sama?" a female voice asked expectantly.

"Ino, I want you to gather the roster of all the janitors and maids and bring it to my office immediately," Sasuke commanded.

"Right away sir,"

After a few minutes of waiting patiently, a tall blonde walked in his office. She bowed respectfully and dropped a large stack of paper on his desk.

"Thank you Ino,"

Quickly and surely, Sasuke began to flip through the list of employment. His eyes scanned pages after pages as though he knew exactly what he was looking for. But when the name glared back at him in defiance, the CEO was tempted to slam the file shut. Instead, he held his ground and began accessing the situation with businesslike calmness.

_Sakura Haruno_

His fiancée had a lot of explaining to do.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

anna: Idea of the sewage system was taken from "Flawless"


	3. one

Machiavellian Intentions

By anna

_All general disclaimers apply_

_one _

--

_Tomorrow, the Uchiha Corp. was going to be turned upside down._

--

Sasuke Uchiha looked out the window, his fingers lightly tapped on the frame with immense impatience. The handsome man's gaze averted to the clock and clicked his tongue in annoyance. She was late. His fiancée never had a knack for being fashionably late, so he couldn't understand why she decided to pick up such an abominable practice.

Tugging at his tie lightly, the young owner of Uchiha Corp loosened the tight grasp of expensive silk around his neck. Didn't she understand that nobody kept him waiting? As the heir to one of the most influential diamond trading companies, Sasuke had fought for respect. His shrewd and naturally political mind helped skyrocket him to the top of the economic world. Blessed with impossibly good looks, Sasuke Uchiha was also easily the most viable bachelor. His bachelorhood, however, was savagely destroyed when he met her. The woman who apparently thought it was acceptable to keep a man of his caliber waiting.

The light tapping of the door brought him back from his angry musings. Dark eyes narrowed ferociously as the lithe body of a female form slipped through.

"You're late," he spat out, his eyes trailed over her body in aversion. What the hell was she wearing?

Dressed in a distasteful orange dress, the monstrous color clashed with her hair horribly. He sighed when he realized a certain blond was probably responsible for the tacky outfit.

"Did you lose another bet with the dope?"

Her solemn pout answered him.

The woman ambled over to him, she yelped when he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her roughly against his chest.

"I don't intend to leave your tardiness unpunished, woman," he snarled.

Before she had a chance to beg for forgiveness, his lips were already pressed against her. The woman in his arms wiggled her body for a possible escape route, but his strong muscles held her firmly. When his tongue slithered in her mouth, she decided it was best to submit.

Her cheeks flushed wantonly when he finally decided that it was enough. Pulling the chair out, Sasuke gently led her to a beautifully decorated table.

"Your dinner is getting cold,"

"Listen Sasuke-kun, I'm awfully sorry. I had to work late at the office today,"

The young man joined her at the table, he unfolded his napkin and remarked absentmindedly, "I don't understand why you need to work, you are marrying me. I'm more than capable of providing for you,"

The woman across from him jostled in slight annoyance, "You know I get upset when you belittle my research like that,"

"Well, you do have my credit card, if you're upset, I'm sure my credit card company will call me and tell me all about it," the CEO said, slicing a piece of steak with impeccable dinner manners.

"I hear you got another shipment of diamonds from Suna, wouldn't that strain the relationship with Sound?" she asked, dismissing his earlier insinuation.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow; she had never shown much interest in his politics before.

"They've uncovered a rare colored diamond, and I wish to procure it,"

"Colored?" her interest climbed.

"Yes, a large pink diamond. They call it the 'Cherry Blossom,'"

Her countenance showed slight jealousy, "for such a rare piece, it should be in your private collection then."

He was tempted to reach across the dinner table and stroke her face. The diamond mogul would never admit it, but her eyes were the only diamonds he had any true possessive tendencies over.

--

"Your credentials are impressive, Hyuuga-san,"

The aforementioned man nodded graciously. Silver eyes rested on his interviewer in a private consultation of his own.

"With the kind of high profile business that you do, I'm sure your diamonds would enjoy a higher level of security," Neji said, his calm demeanor permeated the room and Sasuke nodded approvingly.

"You also have hearty letters of recommendation from some very important people,"

"I studied under Guy-sensei and then I moved to serve as a financier for Tsunade-sama's stock company,"

Sasuke let out a low chuckle at the mention of the blonde elder, "I did not fail to notice that her gambling losses decreased substantially while you were under her service,"

Closing up the file in front of him decidedly, Sasuke leaned back, "Well… I can't find a single reason why I shouldn't hire you, Hyuuga-san. Welcome to Uchiha Corp. I expect to see a blue print of the new security system by next week."

"Thank you,"

After the formality of hand-shaking, Neji dipped his head slightly as a show of respect and exited the room. As he walked toward the elevator, the Hyuuga pointedly ignored the wistful sighs of the secretaries. Slipping inside the contraption of transport, he pressed the button for the ground floor. Noticing that he wasn't as alone as he'd like, Neji slightly turned around to see a young woman in uniform.

"Hello," she greeted him; her green eyes sparkled at the prospect of making a new acquaintance.

He scrutinized her closely, she was a pretty woman. Almost too pretty to be a convincing maid. Next to her was a trolley that held various cleaning instruments and bottles of sanitizer.

"I hadn't realized Uchiha Corp. hired female janitors,"

"I'm a maid," she corrected him; her hands swooped up her generous pink hair and tied it into a clean ponytail.

Neji nodded in acknowledgment and opted to turn around to face the front of the elevator, intent on ignoring the unimportant employee behind him. Unfortunately, the strange woman was pressed on having his attention.

"I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?" she asked.

"Uchiha-san hired me today,"

"Oh, how exciting, I was hired yesterday. You must be one of the higher-ups then, I hear Uchiha-sama only handles important positions personally," she offered her tidbit of information after a thoughtful pause.

The elevator's door opened and she pushed her cart forward, "well, this is my stop, it's been nice talking to you…"

"Neji Hyuuga," he supplied.

"I'm Sakura Haruno," she smiled brilliantly, obviously pleased with the offer of his name, "I'll see you around Neji-san. Thanks for talking to me, the higher employees usually think they're too good to entertain the help,"

With another flick of the hair, the lively woman disappeared as the door of the elevator closed.

--

Neji leaned back and admired his handiwork. It had only been a week, and he already proved that he was a workaholic beyond hopes of successful intervention. As promised, he showed the Uchiha CEO his security plans the week after he was hired. Sasuke had been pleased with the rough blue print and requested the proper details be built as soon as possible.

"Hello Neji-san. Working late again?"

Neji didn't bother to glance at the owner of the voice. She was never late and, after the first few days, the Hyuuga accepted hers as a welcomed intrusion. The familiar presence of the woman began to pervade the room and he found it odd that a woman of her social caliber could command a room's attention as she did.

"You too,"

She laughed in delight, "Oh, but unlike you, I don't have much of a choice. My job description specifically requires late nights,"

Sakura approached the desk and began cleaning the surface. She took great caution to avoid intruding on his working area. Behind the smell of surface sanitizer, the financier caught a whiff of her personal scent. The man raised an eyebrow when she leaned over curiously at his work.

"That's a nifty drawing you've got there," she pointed, her green eyes sparkled with innocence.

He suppressed an irate growl, "That 'nifty drawing' is one of the most reliable security systems ever conceived on paper,"

"But how can you be sure of its reliability in practice?" she asked and sprayed another generous amount of cleanser on the table. The overpowering smell of citrus and lemon effectively masked the pleasant scent of her skin.

"There is a reason why they hired a celebrated scholar to be in charge of such work instead of a maid," he said curtly, he always hated the smells of chemical.

Instead of getting angry at the rude insinuation of her intelligence, Sakura merely shrugged, "Perfection is relative, there is no such thing as a flawless plan,"

--

Sakura pushed her cart across a buzzing office. The new security system was being installed and all the secretaries had been gossiping about its expected potency. After a few minutes however, their conversation steered from the new contraption currently being installed to the man who was responsible for its existence. With a light smile, the pink haired woman stopped momentarily to appease her curiosity.

"Why are you replacing the surveillance cameras?" she asked a worker.

The young man looked down from his ladder and blushed when he saw her.

"The new ones have been upgraded to have a new feature," he answered her.

"Oh? What kind of new feature?"

The young electrician stopped to ponder her question for a moment. From her angle, she couldn't decipher whether his hesitation was because he was unable to reveal such classified information or that he simply didn't know the answer.

"The cameras have a reserved power source that prevents them being compromised upon events of power shortage or wiring complications," the deep, smooth voice of a male answered her.

Sakura twirled around to face a smirking brunette. Dressed in a dark Armani suit, he certainly lived up to the reputation as the resident eye candy.

"Oh?" her pink lips curled into a smile that showed her obvious awe.

He moved closer to her with the grace of an agile cat and leaned down to whisper in her ears. Sakura did not back down from their sudden proximity and she held her ground against the dominating man.

"Not to mention, they can see through everything. Even in total darkness, they can detect body heat, no matter how slight," his hot breath danced on her ear.

The distant squeal of delight succeeded in pulling the financier from her. Pairs of green and silver eyes looked in the direction of approaching footsteps. The dainty "click" of heels grew louder until two young, flushing women appeared.

"Did you hear? The boss is coming down," one of the interns said breathlessly.

"Do I look ok?" the other one asked while frantically smoothing her blonde hair.

The two giggling interns continued to squeal about the "smoldering hotness" of a certain CEO. Their shrieking voices echoed the halls even as they turned the corner.

"Shouldn't you go and reapply your lipstick or something?" Neji asked in amusement.

Sakura frowned lightly, "I don't think so. From what I hear, Uchiha-sama does not like to see the help lingering aimless around. I might as well take advantage of the commotion and clean the empty halls while I can,"

Neji watched the pretty woman began her walk to the lobby; the squeaking sounds of the wheels of her cart followed her.

--

With all of the employees currently swarming around the company's CEO, the halls were left fabulous clear of loitering people. Except for a few electricians installing the new surveillance system, Sakura had almost every corner to herself. After a few precautionary glances, the woman pushed her way into the Hyuuga's office.

His office was impossibly immaculate; he never had much of a penchant for messes as she delightfully found out after a few visits. The trash bin under the shredder machine, as she found out, had been recently emptied, save for a few bits of paper. Her deliciously pouty lips widened into a smile of satisfaction as she caught the light blue grids on the shredded paper.

The jumbled mess of uniformly cut pieces had been previously the blue print of the infamous security system currently being installed. Emptying her bottle of coffee in the trash can, Sakura began to fill the aluminum can with the shredded paper. She winced slightly when she got a nasty cut from her haste.

Fastening the lid securely, the pink haired woman exited the financier's office discreetly.

--

In the background, her phone rang persistently. Sakura paid no heed to the annoying noise and continued her work. With simple clear tape, patience, and her general common sense, Sakura had successful reconstructed the blue print. Mimicking Neji's habit, she leaned back to admire her achievement. According to the plan, the new cameras were the least of the new improvements. The entire corridor leading to the vault got a new facelift. The vault itself and its every facet were drawn meticulously. Such close attention to details, however, only successfully reinforced the fact that penetration was impossible.

She simply needed to see it in person. Sakura let out a large yawn and scampered her way to the bed. Tomorrow was going to be an exciting day.

--

The vault in real life looked even more imposing than on pictures. She stood there, her finger lightly tracing the handle, the metal under her skin was cool and she wondered how much strength it would require for her to turn it. The camera behind her had been temporarily taken down, ready to be replaced with the newer version.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Sakura turned around and she dipped her head in respect. A male in his late forties smiled amicably at her.

"Hyuuga-san is a genius," she commented dryly.

"The installation will be finished by tonight. We have workers busy around the clock to get everything ready for Uchiha-sama's inspection," the head architect said.

With that said, he bid her good bye and turned around the corner. Sakura watched his retreating form and, with one last look at the vault, walked away. There were cubicles to be cleaned out.

--

"Did you hear?" a young secretary exclaimed excitedly to her neighbor.

"What Tenten?" her friend inquired with equal fervor, fingers fiddling with a nail filer.

"Uchiha-sama is having party tomorrow to celebrate the new arrival of the vault," the brunette said.

Sakura stopped her sweeping momentarily to listen in their conversation.

"Really? A party? How marvelous," the pink haired maid sighed dreamily.

The brunette woman looked up and cocked a smile in amusement, "You should come too dear, the memo did say that all employees are invited."

"Oh no, Tenten-san, I couldn't possibly think of coming to a fancy event like that. My meager paycheck isn't exactly cut out for luxury spending," Sakura waved her hand in dismissal.

The secretary leaned forward to study the woman in front of her. Even in simple, shabby clothing, the maid's physical features were ethereally striking. Her light pink hair looked almost silver under the fluorescent light and her deep green eyes stood out like rare diamonds. Tenten had never seen a woman with such enviable attributes.

Biting back bitter jealousy, Tenten crinkled her brown eyes playfully, "You could probably show up like that and still be the center of attention,"

"All employees are invited, hmm?" Sakura reiterated thoughtfully.

--

After successfully cleaning the front lobby, Sakura pushed her cart to her favorite office. She found him there, pointedly ignoring her again. Neji was holding a book and upon closer inspection, she almost laughed at the title.

"A Bismarck enthusiast?" she asked, her hand reaching for the surface sanitizer. To appease him and his finicky olfactory sense, she had replaced the citrus and lemon with a non scented bottle.

"Do you have a problem with my literature selection?" he asked. If she had been a lesser woman, his deep voice would have sent embarrassing shivers up her spine.

"I just didn't think of you as a realpolitik kind of guy,"

The financier lowered the hardbound edition and eyed her questioningly. Apparently, his earlier assumption about her intelligence had been piteously incorrect.

"What is that?" she pointed to a mess of papers on his desk.

"Old blue prints of the security system. Rough drafts that don't reflect the new system in any ways," he answered simply, a bit disappointed that she changed the subject before he had a chance to find out just how high a Mach she was.

She appeared thoughtful, "So should these be in any body else's possession, they wouldn't do be any help,"

He shook his head to her obvious satisfaction.

"May I have them?"

He waved his hand in positive confirmation and watched as her eyes sparkled in excitement. It was oddly amusing to see the woman in front of him took on the persona of a kid in a candy store. His silver eyes watched her intently. Her very person was a contradiction to her employment. Traitorous eyes continued to follow her as she exited the room; his ears vaguely registered the rickety sounds of the faulty wheels.

He should have asked her to be his "plus one" for the corporate party.

--

Sakura entered her shabby apartment and closed the door securely. The answering machine beeped with the obtainment of five new messages. She reluctantly pressed "play" and was greeted with the voice of an irate male. She sighed and sat down on her desk, fingers gingerly unfolding the new blueprints she had acquired.

Sakura was an intelligent woman; it did not take her long to figure out a small flaw. She checked each updated design to find, much to her satisfaction, that small flaw consistently recurred. It appeared that Neji had neglected the very security cameras he was so fond of.

There were twelve screens at the control room to be monitored at all times by two securities. Logically, each would observe six screens- if she could somehow maneuvered one guard out of the room, the remaining man would have a difficult time overseeing twelve screens.

Evading the cameras was one puzzle; the challenge would be to open the vault. Tomorrow, at the gala, Sakura had a lot of work to do.

--

Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance as his eyes scanned the floor for her. The second they arrived, his fiancée had somehow managed to slip out of his arms and effectively evaded from his presence. Onyx eyes searched for a familiar green dress, but to his frustration, green proved to be a popular color that night.

The gala wasn't exactly his idea, it was suggested by one of his senior advisors to help draw the world's attention to Uchiha Corp. and its lucrative trade. A light tap on his shoulder drew his attention to the blond woman standing by his side.

"Temari," the young CEO acknowledged.

She smiled and offered him her hand. The handsome man accepted and drew her out to the dance floor.

"My brother sent his condolences as he had prior engagement," the businesswoman said as she glided gracefully against his well built frame.

"Tell Gaara that I am greatly disappointed upon his absence," Sasuke whispered in her ear, his hot breath trailed along the sensuous curve of her neck. The Suna Inc. consultant sighed as her body responded powerfully to his masculine charms.

"The 'Cherry Blossom' will be in your possession at the new vault's public unveiling," she said and was pleased at the man's mumble of approval.

"Now that all the business is out of the way, what say you and I get out of here?" Temari asked, her elegantly manicured nailed grazed at the nape of his neck, "rekindle some old flames. I remember some great memories we had on that office desk of yours. I still scream… quite loud."

The song came to and end as the last violin played the finale solo.

"Thanks for the dance, Temari. But I'm going to have to decline the latter offer. My body belongs to only one woman now," he smirked at her noticeable displeasure.

Sasuke left the woman on the dance floor and walked off; he dismissed the looks of the desire from the women. In his haste, he almost knocked over a young brunette. Her anger quickly dissipated when she realized who he was.

"I'm sorry Uchiha-sama, I didn't look where I was going," Tenten apologized but earned another look of disinterest from her employer.

Her brown eyes lit up when she saw someone and she excused herself. Removing herself from his vicinity, the brunette approached the woman who caught her attention.

"Sakura, so you made it,"

Sakura turned around at the mention of her name; her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment when she saw the scrutinizing look from her friend. Tenten nodded in approval at the gorgeous green dress that hugged the pretty woman's every curve.

"Many women are wearing green tonight, but you, my dear Sakura-chan, are the most stunning of them all,"

--

After some idle gossip with the secretaries, Sakura excused herself under the guise of a bathroom break. As she moved, the pink haired woman could feel the intrusive stares of the party goers. Carefully, she disappeared behind the bar and successfully bypassed the flimsy security guarding the vault corridor. Listening intently to her surrounding, Sakura was satisfied that the clicks of her heels were the only sounds bouncing off the wall. The resonance of the orchestra faded the further she got.

"Sakura?" a familiar voice of a male called out to her.

Putting on her most dazzling smile, the beautiful woman turned around.

His silver eyes widened, he always knew she was beautiful- but the green number she was wearing effectively revealed her true beauty. No longer in the shabby clothing that was her uniform, Sakura looked undeniably desirable. The faint sounds of the orchestra carried through the small corridor. Her expressive green eyes twinkled as they looked off in the distance.

"Care to dance Neji-san?" she extended an arm in seductive invitation.

As an answer to her request, he closed the space between them. With his arm gently holding her, they glided with ease to the soft music. The entire encounter would be counted as romantic if Sakura wasn't so distracted with the real reason she was there.

"You're a good dancer," she murmured on his shoulder.

"A product from going to too many corporate functions like these. Your mastery of dancing, however, is surprising,"

"My father taught me," Sakura answered, her head still resting on his shoulder.

One hand holding her waist in place, he moved to dip her. Sakura smiled at his intention and allowed the man to lower her; she caught his silver eyes burning with desire into hers.

"What are you doing here? The CEO will be up here soon for the vault's unveiling," he kept her in that compromising position much to her slight annoyance.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she asked, the close proximity of their faces enabled for her lips to touch his lightly as she spoke.

"I can't stop you,"

"I'm going to steal Uchiha Corp.'s diamonds," she said simply.

--


End file.
